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                  <p class="p_Heading1"><span class="f_Heading1">Control Flow</span></p>



  
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                <p class="p_TextIndentedL2"><img src="d_controlflow.png" width="234" height="60" border="0" alt="d_ControlFlow"></p>
<p class="p_BodyText"><span class="f_BodyText">The </span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;">Control Flow</span><span class="f_BodyText"> is a connector connecting two nodes in an <a href="activitydiagram.htm">Activity diagram</a>. Control Flow connectors bridge the flow between Activity nodes, by directing the flow to the target node once the source node's activity is completed.</span></p>
<p class="p_TextIndentedL2"><img src="activity%20diagram%20-%20actions.png" width="260" height="62" border="0" alt="Activity Diagram - Actions"></p>
<p class="p_BodyText"><span class="f_BodyText">Control Flows and </span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;">Object Flows</span><span class="f_BodyText"> can define a </span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;">Guard</span><span class="f_BodyText"> and a </span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;">Weight</span><span class="f_BodyText"> condition.</span></p>
<p class="p_BodyText"><span class="f_BodyText">A </span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;">Guard</span><span class="f_BodyText"> defines a condition that must be true before control passes along that activity edge. A practical example of this is where two or more activity edges (Control Flows) exit from a </span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;"><a href="decision.htm">Decision</a></span><span class="f_BodyText"> element. Each flow should have a Guard condition that is exclusive of the other and defines which edge is taken under what conditions. The Control Flow</span><span class="f_UIControl"> Properties</span><span class="f_BodyText"> dialog enables you to set up Guard conditions on Control Flows and on Object Flows.</span></p>
<p class="p_BodyText"><span class="f_BodyText">A </span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;">Weight</span><span class="f_BodyText"> defines the number of tokens that can flow along a Control or Object Flow connection when that edge is traversed. Weight can also be defined on the Control Flow and Object Flow </span><span class="f_UIControl">Properties</span><span class="f_BodyText"> dialogs.</span></p>
<p class="p_TextIndentedL2"><img src="controlflowprops.png" width="386" height="158" border="0" alt="ControlFlowProps"></p>
<p class="p_SubHeadingL1"><span class="f_SubHeadingL1">Toolbox Icon</span></p>
<p class="p_TextIndentedL2"><img src="c_controlflow.png" width="171" height="21" border="0" alt="c_ControlFlow"></p>
<p class="p_SubHeadingL1"><span class="f_SubHeadingL1">OMG UML specification</span><span class="f_SubHeadingL1">:</span></p>
<p class="p_BodyText"><span class="f_BodyText">The OMG UML specification (</span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;">UML Superstructure Specification, v2.1.1, p. 356</span><span class="f_BodyText">) states:</span></p>
<p class="p_OMGText"><span class="f_OMGText">A control flow is an edge that starts an activity node after the previous one is finished.</span></p>




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